I did it my way, insists Premier as Joe has a quiet word

By Louise Hall and Conrad Walters

May 31, 2010 — 3.00am

Less than a hour after sitting next to Joe Tripodi at an Italian Republic Day festival, the Premier, Kristina Keneally, was again forced to defend herself against claims that he and fellow right-wing powerbroker Eddie Obeid were the state's puppet masters.

''This is a laughable proposition, that somehow I as Premier am not selecting my own cabinet,'' she said.

"As I was saying" ... Kristina Keneally and Joe Tripodi chatting yesterday at an Italian festival at Club Marconi in the western suburbs of Sydney.Credit:James Alcock

''I will not truck this nonsense that somehow I am not making decisions in my government.''

Ms Keneally was responding to claims by the NSW Labor identity Graham Richardson that his ''friends'' Mr Tripodi and Mr Obeid were ''hugely influential'' on the make-up of the cabinet.

Advertisement

Mr Richardson told a News Ltd Sunday paper they did not have a big impact on policy but ''if there's going to be a vacancy in the ministry next week, they're hugely influential in who gets that''.

But Ms Keneally strongly denied that Mr Tripodi and Mr Obeid vetoed her push for the Environment Minister, Frank Sartor, to be transport minister and said she alone anointed former Labor Council boss John Robertson to the portfolio.

Yesterday she said she spoke to ''at least a dozen'' MPs from the left and right after former transport minister David Campbell resigned.

''Every single member of my government that I spoke to absolutely acknowledged that it was my choice to decide who went into what portfolios.''

It was the second time in a fortnight that Ms Keneally has publicly rebuffed Mr Richardson, a former federal senator and minister turned lobbyist who has declared Labor will lose the state election. ''I don't know Mr Richardson. I've never had a conversation with him,'' she said.

Mr Richardson did not return the Herald's calls yesterday but Mr Obeid said the comments about his and Mr Tripodi's roles in caucus were ''pretty true''.

''We give our advice and we make our point about people that should be nominated and when caucus agrees they get nominated,'' he said. ''We probably have a better understanding and judgment and as a consequence they listen to us.''

Mr Tripodi was more circumspect: ''I support whatever the Premier wants, and it's always been my way to do that, whoever the premier is.''

Ms Keneally stood by internal party polling indicating a landslide win for the Liberals in the Penrith by-election on June 19.

The Opposition Leader, Barry O'Farrell, said the poll, which predicted Labor would get only 32 per cent of the vote as ''simply ridiculous'' and ''Labor spin''.

He said internal Liberal polling showed the contest was much closer. ''Our polls reflect the reality, which is that this is not a classic swing seat,'' he said.

In December Ms Keneally was ridiculed by her predecessor, Nathan Rees, as a ''puppet'' on the day he was replaced in a coup orchestrated by Mr Tripodi and Mr Obeid.